Abstract
The abundance and properties of small standing water bodies (SSWB) is globally not well known for their ecological importance is undervalued and their detection suffers from technical limitations. In the current study, we used a combination of GIS-based methods (satellite, orthophoto, ground validation) to evaluate regional estimates of standing water body (SWB) inventories in two geographically different parts of Europe – France, and Estonia. In our study the SWBs surface area threshold limit was 0.00001 km2, exceeding the limits of previous studies (>0.002 km2). The total number of SWBs in Estonia is 111 552 (2.5 per km2) and in France 598 371 (1.1 per km2). Our estimates show that the median size of SWBs in Estonia and France is 0.0003 km2 and 0.0007 km2 respectively, meaning that most of the SSWBs are not included in the global inventories, and their number is therefore underestimated. SSWBs (area below 0.01 km2) form a significant share of the total shoreline length of SWBs, 70.3% in Estonia and 58.8% in France. As nearshore areas are often very productive with diverse habitats, the SSWBs hold a crucial role in maintaining biodiversity. Our results provide quantitative evidence that SSWBs are vital and abundant landscape elements, freshwater resources, and habitats that should not be ignored in global inventories.
Highlights
All standing water bodies (SWB) are essential for landscape biodiversity
The number and properties of small standing water bodies (SSWB) are globally not well known for their importance is generally undervalued or their detection suffers from technical limitations
While big lakes and reservoirs are extensively studied and protected, SSWBs collectively represent a significant proportion of the surface water resource and are critical habitat for threatened freshwater species
Summary
All standing water bodies (SWB) are essential for landscape biodiversity. Small standing water bodies (SSWB) (area below 0.01 km2) have been shown to support more freshwater species as a whole than rivers or big lakes across different countries (Williams et al, 2004; Biggs et al, 2005; Karaus et al, 2005; Demars and Edwards, 2007; Davies et al, 2008; Oertli et al, 2009; Martinez-Sanz et al, 2012; Lischeid et al, 2018). Even less diverse small water bodies (such as bog pools) often support rare, unique plant and animal assemblages and contribute to the diversity of habitats. Their contribution to landscape biodiversity cannot be disregarded (Beadle et al, 2015). Most of the global terrestrial-aquatic interface (perimeter) is in SSWBs (Verpoorter et al, 2014), and this zone harbours some of the most productive habitats on Earth (Wetzel, 1992)
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